Half-Mer
by Coffee and sugar addict
Summary: Adrienne Camonar is a new student at Hogwarts, but she has a secret. She is half-mermaid and half-human.
1. Chapter 1

**Half-Mer**

 **Prologue/Chapter 1**

 **The man searched for the baby he could hear crying. He had been camping when he heard the crying begin, that was over half an hour ago. Now he could hear water running and the baby's cry was louder. Panting, he broke through the trees to see a lake, a stream emptying into it. On the shore, he saw a baby in a basket and went over to it, taking off his jacket to wrap the baby girl in. He made soothing noises as he rocked her, and the baby was soon asleep. Peering down into the basket, he saw what looked like a note, only it looked like it was woven out of weeds. "This baby is a half-mermaid. To whoever finds her, keep her away from large bodies of water. Her life is forfeit if she enters the water. This is all I can do for her. Keep her safe." Charlie Camonar read and looked down at the sleeping child, who was holding onto Charlie's thumb tightly. He noticed on the inside of her wrist, there was a birthmark shaped like a seashell and there were more pronounced webs between her fingers than there would be on a normal human's hands. "You need a name, little one. Adrienne."**

 **11 Years later**

" **Nothing's going to happen today." Adrienne said to herself as she got ready for school her 11** **th** **birthday. She pulled out a silvery tunic style shirt she had designed and dark blue jeans. "Adri, breakfast!" her dad yelled, and she yelled back "coming!". She quickly brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her long almost black hair, making sure to put her seashell earrings in. They were the only jewelry she wore, and she had made them herself. "Adri, your blueberry pancakes are getting cold!" She shrieked and ran downstairs, tripping down the last few. She quickly jumped up and brushed herself off.**

" **Adrienne Camonar, why did you freeze the water in the aquarium today?" Her principal asked her, ignoring the obvious question: "how?". "It was an accident." Adrienne said but they never believed her. Kids at school steered clear of her, except a few who liked to tease her. Her principal sighed and turned away from her. "Your father has been notified and is on his way to pick you up. Go get your stuff from the class." The principal said, dismissing her and she got up, trudging out.**

 **Kids snickered as she walked in and grabbed her bag, one even stuck hit foot out and tripped her. "Freak" he hissed at her and the other kids took up the call until the word "freak" was all she could hear. She covered her ears and ran for it, tears streaming down her face.**

" **Hey Adri, how was school?" her dad asked her when she got in the car and she sniffled. "Mean kids again?" He asked, and she nodded. "Am I freak?" she asked, and he hugged her. "No, you aren't, you're just different than them." He reassured her like he had countless times.**

 **When they got home, they were surprised to a strange-looking man sitting on their porch. Everything from his long silver beard to his purple boots and his dark blue robes screamed "DIFFERENT". "Good afternoon, my name is Albus Dumbledore." He said pleasantly.**

 **Adri had to constantly remind herself that staring was rude as the three of them sipped tea. He had said he was the headmaster of a school and that he wanted her to attend but that was all he had said before he had asked to come in and in their surprise, they had let him and had served him tea. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "You said you are the headmaster of a school and you want ME to attend? May I ask why?" He smiled and set down his teacup as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him. "I am the headmaster of a school, yes. A school of magic. You can do things other people can't, can't you Adrienne?" He asked, leaning forward. "** _ **He knows. He knows something's wrong with me!"**_ **Her dad stood up and said "Sir, may I talk to you in the other room?" Smiling, Professor Dumbledore stood up and they walked into the kitchen.**

" **I admit that she can do other things, things that her classmates can't do. But so, what? What can your school do for her?" Charlie demanded and Albus nodded. "For one thing, we can teach her to control her magic. Secondly, she wouldn't be bullied by her peers for something that she can't control. And thirdly, she's half-mermaid, isn't she? We can help her with that too." They heard a tinkling of china in the doorway and turned to see Adrienne shaking. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" She said, her almost-violet eyes gleaming. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't know how to tell you. How do you tell your adopted child that she's half-mermaid?" Charlie realized what he had said too late and judging by the crushed look on her face, Adrienne had heard it. Then the miserable look on her face turned to anger. "So, I'm half-mermaid and now I'm adopted too. Is there anything else you've lied to me about?" She snapped and turned to look at Professor Dumbledore, who looked rather awkward. "How soon can I leave?" He handed her a letter and she opened it and quickly read. "How much will all this cost?" She asked him, looking up at him and he smiled at her "there is a special fund set aside for muggle students and another set aside for students who are…different." He said the last part awkwardly and she nodded. "If you wish, we can go get your school supplies right now." Adrienne looked at her father then away. Would it have been so hard for him to tell her the truth? "Let's go."**

 **Charlie watched as Adri gave him one last miserable look and walked out. "Take care of her." He said to Albus, who nodded and walked away.**

" **This place is INCREDIBLE!" Adri shrieked in Diagon Alley and a woman with orange hair smiled kindly at her "First year? My youngest son is a first year as well. I'm Mrs. Weasley. It's a pleasure to meet you, dear." The woman said kindly and shook her hand. "My name is Adrienne Camonar, it's nice to meet you." Mrs. Weasley looked over Adri's shoulder and looked shocked to see Professor Dumbledore but he shook his head no and retreated into the crowd a little bit and she nodded.**

 **Adri looked at the dingy shop, opening the door. She had already gotten everything, but Dumbledore had disappeared after telling her to go get her wand. "Welcome to my shop, young witch." An old man with peculiar eyes said to kindly and she smiled at him.**

 **5 wands later, she had finally found her wand! When she picked up the wand, a geyser of water erupted out of the tip, forming a mermaid in mid-air. "That wand is Unicorn hair and Pear wood, very nice!" Ollivander beamed at her and she smiled back, the wand feeling like an extension of her arm. "Happy birthday, Adri." Professor Dumbledore said, holding a cage. Inside the cage, a beautiful Hawk Owl. "She's beautiful!" Adri whispered as the owl was sleeping and beamed at Dumbledore.**

 **Dinner that night between Adrienne and Charlie was awkward. He had prepared her favorite dinner but neither of them were very hungry. Adri's owl, who she had named "Athena" was sitting on her shoulder and eating a sausage that Adri had given her. "Adri? I owe you an apology." Adri looked up to see her father looking miserable. "I never told you that you were adopted or half-mermaid because I wanted you to live a normal life and be as normal as you could. Besides, you will always be my daughter, even though we aren't related by blood." Adri got up and hugged her father, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I love you, dad."**

 **5 Months Later**

 **Adri watched as a black-haired kid ran through the column, followed by an orange-haired tall kid. That black-haired kid had had an owl just like hers, so maybe that how to get to Platform 9 ¾. She took a deep breath and ran at the column, expecting to hit it but then she passed through it!**

" **Let me help you." A girl with frizzy brown hair and rather large front teeth said and helped her with her trunk. "Thanks, I'm Adri." Adri said, and she held out her hand. "Hermione, it's nice to meet you."**


	2. Chapter 2

Half-Mer

Chapter 2

Adri quickly realized that Hermione was incredibly smart, and a muggle just like her. They were talking animatedly about their favorite books when a boy ran in, asking about a toad frantically. Adri and Hermione got up and walked from compartment to compartment, asking if anyone had seen a toad. They got to a compartment where two boys were sitting. The one with red hair had his wand out and was in the middle of a spell. "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." Adri said and the boy with the red hair said no. While Hermione told him to do the spell, Adri frowned at him. Something about him was familiar, something about red hair and a weasel? No, Weasley! Adri was shaken out her thoughts when she realized that Hermione was introducing herself to the boys and they were looking at her. "Adrienne Camonar. It's nice to meet you." Adri wanted to hide behind her hair and was glad when they stopped looking at her. When Hermione told the boys that they had better change into their robes, Adri remembered that she needed too as well and jumped up. "It was nice to meet you both, maybe we'll be in the same house." Adri said and smiled at them.

After Adri changed into her robes and stowed her book and wand in her robe's pocket, she made sure to braid her hair back. "There are four Houses, right?" She asked Hermione, who nodded eagerly. "Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. So far, Gryffindor sounds the best. I hope I'm in that one, but Ravenclaw sounds nice too." The train stopped and they both got off, Adri tugging slightly on one of her earrings in nervousness. They got into boats and Adri looked over the edge into the water, noticing a few faces in the water and hearing snatches of an unearthly song. One of them reached for her and she leaned away from them, hearing everyone gasp and murmur. She glanced around her, but they weren't looking at her. She followed the direction of their gazes to see a beautiful castle. Hogwarts.

They were greeted by a woman in green robes with her hair pinned back in a severe knot. Adri immediately felt even more nervous when her gaze landed on Adri and she was surprised to see her gaze soften a little bit. Professor McGonagall went on to explain the rules and went through the tall doors behind her, telling them to stay there. Adri heard a rude, snobbish voice and looked to the front of the group of kids. A pale kid with blond slicked back hair was talking to Harry and Ron and Adri moved closer so she could hear. Apparently, his name was Draco Malfoy and he was insulting Ron's family and saying his family was better than Ron's and Adri's anger flared up. She moved closer until she stood right behind Ron and Harry, but Professor McGonagall appeared and tapped Malfoy on the shoulder with a roll of parchment. He walked away but glared at Harry one last time. "We're ready for you now, follow me." She said to them and the doors opened behind her.

They walked down the center of the hall between two of the four tables, one for each house. In front of the table where all the teachers and Dumbledore sat, a dirty and patched hat sat on top of a stool. "Now when I call your name, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted into your house." Prof McGonagall said, and Adri breathed a sigh of relief. She watched as other students were sorted alphabetically. And then her name was called: Camonar, Adrienne. She walked up the steps hesitantly and sat down on the stool. The Hat slipped down over her eyes. She heard a little voice in her ear and it said: "Ah, a thirst for knowledge, but loyalty and unafraid to work hard. Doesn't like to judge Hmm, better be HUFFLEPUFF." The Hat yelled HUFFLEPUFF to the rest of the room and the Hat was lifted off her head and she nearly ran to her house who greeted her enthusiastically. "Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory, I'm a 3rd year. If you need any help with anything, let me know ok?" A boy she was sitting next to her said and she nodded and thanked him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all sorted into Gryffindor and the Hat barely touched Draco's head before it screamed SLYTHERIN. He smirked and swaggered over to the Slytherin table where he was greeted loudly. Cedric frowned over at them and muttered "he's going to be trouble." Adri couldn't help agreeing with him. A few more kids were sorted into Hufflepuff including a Justin Finch-Fletchly, who was a muggle like her.

After the feast, they were led to their dorms which was right next to the kitchens, the Prefect explained. To get into the Common room, you had to the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff on a barrel. Tapping the wrong one or mistapping it would result in getting sprayed with vinegar. The correct barrel would open to reveal a pathway that sloped downwards into the Common room.

The Common room had a low ceiling complete with ferns and ivy that brushed through someone's hair and freaked them out, but to Adri, it actually felt kind of nice. The Common room had a warm and cozy feeling with the gold and black colors of the house and the furniture was polished till it shone the same color as honey. Round doors led to the dorms. The room also had a calming feeling, and for the first time in her life, Adri actually felt like she belonged somewhere, and she was accepted. She snuggled under the covers of her bed, falling asleep quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

Half-Mer

Chapter 3

Adrienne blinked at Professor Quirrell in confusion as he stuttered again. She copied down the notes quickly, trying to keep up and ignore the stuttering. Someone had told her that he was scared of everything, but he was in a class full of first-years. What could he possibly be scared of? She was almost glad the class was over, and she could get away from that strange smell that seemed to come from his turban. From what she could see, the Ravenclaws had been disappointed by their teacher as well. She hoped the next class would be better.

Adrienne's next class was Herbology with the Gryffindors and she stood next to Hermione and they discussed how their classes had been so far. Adri was full of questions about how Transfiguration was, and Hermione was more than willing to provide answers. Hermione asked about the Defense Against the Dark Arts class and seemed disappointed, Harry and Ron listening in.

Adri groaned when she realized the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins had Transfiguration together after lunch but was happy that she could read ahead a bit for her Transfiguration lesson. "Reading ahead already, Adri? Smart. Maybe you should be sitting with the Ravenclaws." Cedric said as he piled food onto his plate.

"Nah I'm good, I just want to see what we're going over today. Is Professor Quirrell always that nervous?" Adri asked, and he nodded.

"He used to be pretty good, I heard. The story is that he was abroad, and he had a run-in with a vampire and he wasn't the same after. Apparently, his turban is filled with garlic." Cedric answered, and she frowned.

"Whatever that smell is, it's not garlic. My dad uses garlic a lot in his cooking, we used to joke that he was keeping the vampires away." Adri said, and Cedric smiled.

"Your dad sounds funny. My dad works at the Ministry of Magic." Cedric said, and Adri started asking questions about the Ministry, rubbing her birthmark nervously. What if they knew what she was? Dumbledore had, and it wouldn't surprise her if McGonagall knew. So, who else knew? Cedric was spared from answering what must have been her fifth question when Athena swooped down in front of her with a letter. Adri fed Athena a piece of meat and opened the letter, which was written in unfamiliar curvy handwriting. It read: Dear Adrienne, if you could please join me after your lessons for today, I wish to talk to you about being a half- mermaid. Sincerely, Professor Dumbledore. P.S. I like Sherbet lemons. If you need help finding my office, Mr. Diggory knows where it is.

"Who's it from?" Cedric asked, looking slightly worried as she paled a bit.

"Professor Dumbledore asked to see me after lessons. Could you show me where his office is after?" She asked, and he nodded, still looking at her worriedly.

"Is everything ok? You were looking kind of scared as you read the letter. Are you scared of Dumbledore?" He asked, and she decided to go with that and nodded. "Don't be, he's nice." She smiled at him, feeling slightly relieved. She trusted Cedric, and if he trusted Dumbledore, then she could too. She petted Athena gently as she finished her lunch.

Adri scowled at Malfoy as he ignored Professor McGonagall, who had just turned her desk into a pig and then back. Professor McGonagall noticed Malfoy ignoring her and her lips thinned. She put the class to work on transforming a match into a needle, something that sounded easy but was actually pretty hard. Adri felt a little better when she noticed Malfoy having just as much trouble as she was. Maybe if he didn't act like such a jerk, she might try to go and be friends with him.

Adri was thinking she liked Professor Flitwick's class the best so far. He was just so bright and cheery, it was hard not to like him. The first charm they had to do was a levitation charm on a feather. Adri finally succeeded in performing the charm and smiled then Malfoy performed the charm too. He smirked as his feather floated higher than hers and she rolled her eyes but made hers float a tad higher before lowering her wand. She wasn't here to have some stupid little rivalry with another student, no matter how annoying, she reminded herself.

Adri looked at dinner longingly, but Professor Dumbledore had asked for her right after classes and Cedric was waiting for her. "Sorry Cedric." She said, feeling guilty that she was constantly asking for his help.

"It's no trouble, Adri." Cedric said smiled reassuringly at her and led her to an ugly stone gargoyle. "Did he give you a password?"

"He said in the letter that he likes sherbet lemon." She replied and as she said, "sherbet lemon", the gargoyle leaped aside to reveal a slowly ascending circular staircase. She thanked Cedric and went up the staircase. At the top of the staircase was a door with a griffin knocker. She hesitantly knocked the knocker against the door and she heard Professor Dumbledore tell her to come in.

"Welcome, Adrienne. Please, sit." He smiled kindly at her and pointed at the chair opposite his desk. Adri's knees were shaking, but she sat down. "No doubt you are wondering why I summoned you here tonight." He said

"You wanted to discuss me being half-mermaid, right? How does that even happen? Am I a monster?" She asked, her voice rising as she started to panic. He held up a hand, gazing at her sympathetically.

"First and foremost, you are not a monster. Breathe, child. You are quite safe." He said and, reassured she wasn't a monster, she calmed down. "Secondly, I will admit that I do not know how you can be half human and half mermaid, but I will do all I can to find out. Thirdly, have you ever tried to see if you can have fins like a full mermaid?" He asked curiously, and she shook her head.

"I didn't even know what I was until I heard you and dad talking. All I know is that he hated it when I was near water. He even made sure I didn't spend a long time in the shower by giving me a timer. 10 minutes at max." He thought over what she said.

"There is a Prefect's bath. I will ensure no one goes there after dinner on Saturday nights and you will be able to go there and find out your abilities as half mermaid." She thought it over and nodded.

"Professor, why did dad keep me away from the water for so long? The night I was Sorted, we came across the lake and I heard the most beautiful song and saw someone in the water. Who was it and why was I the only one who heard the song?" She asked, and he sighed, looking very old.

"You are the offspring of a mermaid and a human man, I suspect that your father was told to not let you near the water out of fear of what might happen by your mother. Did you ever meet her?" He asked, and she shook her head no.

"Let me learn more first and then we will talk some more, but until then, it might be best if you stay away from the lake." She nodded, and he dismissed her.

A lone mermaid waited for Professor Dumbledore at the lake, her tail lazily flicking the water and sending droplets of water everywhere. The same mermaid who had sung for Adri on her way across the lake nodded at Professor Dumbledore as he came into view. "Good evening, Lady" he said in her language and she responded in kind.

"My daughter lives? She is safe?" The mermaid asked, and he smiled kindly at her.

"She lives and is safe. She is curious about you, about herself, and about your people." His words did not have the affect he had hoped for as she splashed her tail violently against the water and bared her sharp teeth at him.

"She must never come here, never try to meet me or meet her people! They would kill her easily! Keep her safe, swear it!" She commanded, and he obeyed. She pulled a necklace off from around her neck and handed it to him, a piece of abalone shell with two small conch shells on either side of the abalone dangling off the cord. "For my daughter. Tell her I am sorry." She said sadly, and he nodded. Mermaids can't cry, but in that moment, she looked like she might. She looked up at the castle and sang a beautiful and sad song and dived back into the water. He knew that the song had not been for him, but rather for Adrienne. He hoped she had heard it. He walked away from the bank and back up to the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

Half-Mer

Chapter 4

Adri snuck silently to the prefect's bathroom immediately after dinner, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone, holding tightly to the necklace Professor Dumbledore had given her on behalf of her mother. Her mother. Adri wondered what she was like and she wondered if she would ever be able to meet her mom. Dumbledore had told Adri everything her mom had told him when he gave Adri the necklace, but Adri needed more information. In the little spare time she had, Adri had been researching mermaids in the library. She thought about the information she had learned that day as she slipped into the prefect's bathroom, checked each stall for feet, and locked the door before looking at the huge bathtub. It was, simply put, amazing. It was a pool-like tub sunk deep into the floor with fifty or more golden faucets with a different gem on each one. Feeling curious, she turned each one on, stripped, then slowly got into the water, thankful there were steps. She sat on the lowest step with the water coming up to her neck and let the warm water wash over her, relaxing completely. She saw a slight glow in the water and watched as her legs fused together and became covered by silvery scales, a powerful tail appearing where her feet had been. She ducked her head under the water as gills appeared over her ribcage and instinctively started swimming, happiness bubbling in her. This was amazing! She could barely keep the smile off her face as she swam for what felt like hours, basking in her mermaid form. She emerged above the surface, flipping her long, wet hair out of her face as she looked up at the clock. She had already been here for two hours, she had to get back to her common room quickly before Filch did his rounds! With a flick of her wand, she drained the tub and watched her tail as it dried out and her tail transformed back into legs and the gills on her ribs disappeared, wishing she could have swum for a little longer. She quickly dried herself off and put her clothes back on before sneaking out of the prefect's bathroom.

Her fellow Hufflepuffs looked up at her as she entered the common room then returned to their studying. She had already finished her homework, so she went to get one of the books on mermaids she had gotten from the library then sat in one of the chairs in front of the room. She was asleep before she had even turned a page and the Prefect girl set Adri's book aside after carefully bookmarking the page Adri was on and gently woke her up to help Adri to the girl's room. As Adri slept, she dreamed of being a mermaid and swimming in the Black Lake, but something was wrong, and she felt like something dangerous was chasing her. She jumped awake, sweat beading her face and it took awhile for her to fall asleep and as she was falling asleep, she wondered if she could tell anyone what she was. No, she decided. For now, she would keep her secret to herself. It felt too crazy, too weird, to talk about to anyone. From what she had read, the only reason she was half mermaid is because her mom had been able to assume human form through powerful magic and come on land. Adri wondered what both her parents were like, remembering the mermaid song she had heard a few nights ago. She wondered if that had been her mom singing and decided to go to the Black Lake at her next opportunity to meet her mom. Maybe her mom had been trying to keep her safe, but Adri NEEDED to know her mom, needed to know what that felt like. She needed to know what was so dangerous that her mom would have chosen to send her away rather than keep Adri with her. As she started forming a plan, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

"BZZT! BZZT!" Adri's alarm clock went off and she jumped awake with a shriek, falling out of bed and scrambling over to her uniform before she realized it was Sunday and crawled back to her bed. "Adri get up! It's a beautiful day!" Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff in Adri's year said cheerfully, and Adri groaned.  
"It's 6 am, I want to sleep in!" Adri whined, and Susan laughed.  
"You sound just like my cousins, they hate getting up early!" Susan said, laughing and tugging on Adri's arm.  
"You're stronger than you look." Adri grumped as Susan tugged her to the great hall and Susan grinned, still in her pajamas.  
"Years of practice, girl." Susan said with a smile as she took in Adri's rumpled appearance. Adri sat down at the Hufflepuff table and pulled some bacon and pancakes onto her plate, pouring herself a cup of coffee and dumping creamer and sugar into it. Adri jumped as Susan started combing and braiding her hair.  
"Sorry, I'm used to playing with my cousin's hair and your hair is so pretty and I just started playing with it without even thinking." Susan said apologetically, and Adri shrugged.  
"It's ok, I'm just not used to anyone playing with my hair. I didn't have friends before I came here." Adri said matter of factly and Susan hugged her.  
"I'm sorry. I'd like to be friends with you." Susan said, and Adri smiled at her.  
"I'd really like that, Susan."


End file.
